Process of treating vegetable fiber



' acts to draw out the vegetable juices.

Patented May 4%, 1923..

s stares "if FFEQ rnocnss or rnna'rinsvaenrannn FIBER.

N0 Drawing. Application filed July 12, 1919,5cria1 No. 310/231. Renewed N ovember 29, 19 22.

T 0 all 207mm tummy concern:

Be it known that I, Howann vCrninnns Forum, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Jacksonville, in the county of Duval and State of Florida, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Process of Treating Vegetable Fiber, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in a process of treating ve 'etable fiber, and has for its object to provide a new and improved )rocess of the character s ecified for reparing Florida or Spanish moss and the like for use as a stuffing for mattresses, cushions and the like, wherein the moss is dehydrated then dyed and afterwards stiffened and glossed.

In the present method, the green moss is subjected to four steps or treatments, the first being treating with an acid, the second treating with an alkali, the third dyeing, and the fourth stiffening and glossing.

In carrying out this process, I first sub ject the green moss to a bath of acid, which The moss is left in this acid bath from one to three hours, in accordance with the condition ofthe mess, that is whether the moss is green or partly cured or dried. The moss is then placed in the alkali bath, where it is treated for from fifteen to thirty minutes.

A preferable formula for the alkaline bath is a 2% solution of caustic soda, this chemical being preferable because of its low cost, although any other alkali will answer equally well. After treatment in the alkaline bath, the moss is dried in a dryer, at a temperature of from 180 to 200 F. Vfhen dry it is dyed, by placing it in a bath of dye stufi'.

This dye bat-h may be composed of any suitable tannin containing material, as for instance log wood extract 10% to 15%, quercitron extract, 3%, and copperas 5%. The moss treated by the acid and alkali is placed in the bath of dye stuff and kept for from one to two hours, that is until a good black is produced.

After the dye bath the moss is subjected to treatment for stiffening and glossing the same; as for instance coating with gelatine or glue. A preferable formula for this stiffening and glossing bath is glue two to four parts, water ten gallons, the amount of glue being regulated in accordance with the degree of stiffness required. A certain amount of 40% formaldehyde solution is added to the'stlffening bath, and a soluble oil, such for instance as Turkey red oil, the

formaldehyde serving as an antiseptic and coating onthe fiber while the 'oil' gives a gloss and a soft feel to the moss. Y

Mosstreated in the above manner may be prepared for use within a very short time,

where ordinarily several weeks are necessary to cure the moss, that is-t'o dry it in the sun. Furthermore sun drying does not drive out the vegetable juices, and until they are removed the fiber cannot be dyed sat1sfac torily.

I have also found that the mossmay be cured satisfactorily, merely by the use of an alkali, thus preparing the moss suitable for drying in one step instead of two. This however requires greater time than treating with acid and alkali baths. In curing the moss as above mentioned, it is piled up and wetted down with an alkali, as for instance a solution of caustic soda, or soda ash. The pile is then left for a week, after which it is turned over and again wetted if too dry and is left for another week.

This wetting with the alkali causes the In the insoluble compound, which produces an insoluble coating on the fiber. When this coating is dried by heat at about 180 F., the fiber is given a nice curl, and it is moisture proof. Sulphuric acid in a 4% solution.

may be used for the acid bath. The purpose of the alkali after the acid bath, is to neutralize the acid.

It will be understood that copper sulphite or any other suitable mordant may be used if desired.

In the acid bath a preferable mixture is one hundred eighty-six pounds of sulphuric acid, 66 13., in five hundred gallons of water.

In the stiffening bath a; preferable mixture is one and a half to three pounds of glue to the gallon of Water, (the amount depending upon the grade 01 glue, whether hide or bone glue) Tothis I add from onehalf to one gallon of so-called 40% formaldehyde solution, to each five hundred gallons of the above mixture. Estimating the formaldehyde solution at eight pounds to the gallon, four to eight pounds will be used in the five hundred gallons. The soluble oil added to the stiffening bath retards or modifies the action or the formaldehyde.

F or the alkaline bath a preferable formula is eighty-one and one-quarter pounds of caustic soda, 76% to five hundred gallons of water.

I claim:

1. A process of treating vegetable fiber, as for instance Spanish moss, which consists in the chemical removal of the plant juices from the fiber, the dyeing of the fiber, and the treatment of the fiber with a solution for stiffening and glossing. the same,.the chemical removal of the plant juices consisting in for stiffening and glossing the fiber consisting of a solution of glue, formaldehyde and soluble oil.

3. A process of preparing vegetable fiber for use as a stuffing material for mattresses and the like, which consists in the chemical removal of plant juices from the fiber, in the dyeing of the fiber, and in treating the fiber with a solution for stiffening and glossing the same.

4. A process of treating Vegeta e which consists in removing the plant juices from the fiber with acid, neutralizing the acid, dyeing the fiber, and treating it with an insoluble gluey coatin HOWARD oHARLias FUELLER; 

